Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is currently growing with new business applications being added continually. The significant advantage of RFID systems is that there is no physical contact requirement between a tracked RFID transponder or tag and a reader, and the systems will operate without line of sight constraints. The tags can be read through a variety of substances and surfaces such as cardboard, plastic, paint, snow, ice, fog and surface contaminants. These and other challenging circumstances can render current barcode technology impractical. RFID tags can also be read at higher speeds and barcode technology and the read/write capabilities of the tags can extend their functionality and value extensively. RFID systems are applicable to a wide variety of automated data collection and identification applications that may not otherwise be possible using current barcode technology.
RFID technology is rapidly becoming a popular substitute to barcode technology for inventory control. Application of RFID technology is still in its infancy, and many customers (potential and current) are still uncomfortable as to how best to utilize RFID technology with present information systems. Examples of potential RFID application include systems with multiple, disparate stakeholders such as the supply chain—separate manufacturing, transportation, warehousing and retail entities utilizing a common system. Purchasing powerhouses like Wal-Mart and the US Department of Defense are driving industries to adopt RFID for supply chain applications. Examples of systems under the control of a single owner, or authority as a standalone solution, include systems used in assembly operations, manufacturing processes, animal tracking, healthcare, railways and the retail industry. One need in RFID systems is a standard user interface for representation of tag information, usable across multiple computer platforms, which can be complex in implementation due to the several currently used RFID standards (e.g. EPC, ISO 18000, etc.).
It is an object of the present invention to provide a file system to obviate or mitigate some of the above-presented disadvantages.